This invention relates generally to the field of resilient bottle retaining devices of a type which may be attached to another object for convenient portability. Devices of this general type are known in the art, and the invention lies in specific structural details which provide simplification of manufacturing at substantially lowered cost, as well as improved convenience in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,810, granted Mar. 1, 1997 to Shook, discloses a holder of this type wherein frictional retention of the bottle is accomplished by partially enclosing those portions which engage the outer surface of the bottle with synthetic resinous sleeves, one of which prevents the separating of parallel wire segments, and thus retained the shape of the holder.
While not without substantial utility, this construction is not without shortcomings, including the presence of the abutting ends of the wire which are held in position by engagement of a synthetic resinous sleeve. With passage of time, the resiliency of the sleeve decreases, to allow the outer portion of the cage to spread when a bottle is inserted. The spreading of the adjacent outer legs, which are relatively long, has normally insufficient resiliency to urge the ends of the wire together. Thus, with passage of time, the gripping ability of the cage is substantially reduced.
Another problem with this construction is that the inner sleeve which surrounds the inner legs of the cage must be installed during the bending or shaping of the wire length, thus making the manufacture of the device substantially a and operation.
Briefly stated, the invention contemplates the provision of an improved device of the class described in which the above-mentioned disadvantages have been eliminated, or at least substantially ameliorated. To this end, the abutting ends of the wire forming terminals for the outer legs of the cage have been eliminated along with the accompanying sleeve. Both the inner and outer legs are dipped in a synthetic resinous coating making the surface which contacts the surface of the bottle with sufficient friction to provide a holster-like retaining action. The upper loop is thus eliminated, and a radially-outwardly extending loop provides means for attachment of the cage to another object, such as a golf bag or a belt loop. A resilient foam sleeve surrounds the inner legs for added resilient engagement of a bottle or container. The free ends of the wire forming the device are preferably welded and completely enclosed in synthetic resin. With the elimination of a large upper loop, the foam sleeve is readily engaged when the device is assembled.